Balls sorry for Sats 'shambles'

Schools Secretary Ed Balls has said sorry to teachers and pupils affected by the Sats marking "shambles".

He apologised for the "inconvenience, stress and frustration" caused by the delay in marking the tests for 11 and 14-year-olds.

A damning report into the fiasco found failures at "almost every stage" of the process, Mr Balls told the Commons.

As a result of the report by Lord Sutherland, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) announced it was abolishing the National Assessments Agency (NAA), its division responsible for delivering the national curriculum tests.

David Gee, the NAA's managing director, has been suspended with immediate effect, the QCA board said.

The board added it was also suspending QCA chief executive Dr Ken Boston, who offered his resignation at the weekend, until it had time to fully consider the report's findings.

Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove said: "The Sutherland report is an epic catalogue of incompetence, inefficiency and blinkered inactivity in the delivery of a vital public service.

"It paints an unremittingly depressing picture of the fiasco which was this year's national curriculum test process."

Mr Balls told the Commons: "The delivery of this summer's National Curriculum tests for 11 and 14-year-olds was a shambles. I want to say to all the teachers, pupils, parents and markers, all of whom have been affected, I want to say how sorry I am for all their inconvenience, stress and frustration. Because what happened this year was completely unacceptable."